PurposeUnderstanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is still insufficient. This study evaluated the associations between concentrations of selenium (Se) and copper (Cu) in the serum of PaCa patients.Materials and MethodsThe study included 100 PaCa patients and 100 control subjects from the same geographical region in Poland. To determine the average concentration of Se, Cu, and ratio Cu:Se in the Polish population, assay for Se and Cu was performed in 480 healthy individuals. Serum levels of Se and Cu were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.ResultsIn the control group, the average Se level was 76 µg/L and Cu 1,098 µg/L. The average Se level among PaCa patients was 60 µg/L and the mean Cu level was 1,432 µg/L. The threshold point at which any decrease in Se concentration was associated with PaCa was 67.45 µg/L. The threshold point of Cu level above which there was an increase in the prevalence of PaCa was 1,214.58 µg/L. In addition, a positive relationship was observed between increasing survival time and Se plasma level.ConclusionThis retrospective study suggests that low levels of Se and high levels of Cu might influence development of PaCa and that higher levels of Se are associated with longer survival in patients with PaCa. The results suggest that determining the level of Se and Cu could be incorporated into a risk stratification scheme for the selection and surveillance control examination to complement existing screening and diagnostic procedures.

BackgroundLung cancer is the most common adult malignancy accounting for the largest proportion of cancer related deaths. Iron (Fe) is an essential trace element and is a component of several major metabolic pathways playing an important role in many physiological processes. In this study we evaluated the association between Fe concentration in serum, iron metabolism parameters and genetic variaton in 7 genes involved in iron metabolism and anti-oxidative processes with the incidence of lung cancer in Poland.Materials and methodsThe study included 200 lung cancer patients and 200 matched healthy control subjects. We analyzed serum iron concentration and iron metabolism parameters (TIBC, UIBC, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation), and genotyped seven variants in seven genes: HFE, TFR1, HAMP, TF, SOD2, CAT and GPX1.ResultsLung cancer patients compared to their matched controls had significantly higher mean serum iron level (p = 0.01), ferritin level (p = 0.007) and TIBC (p = 0.006). Analysis revealed that higher concentration of iron and ferritin (IVth quartile) compared to the lower concentration (Ist quartile) was associated with over 2-fold increased lung cancer incidence. We also found that higher transferrin saturation (p = 0.01) and lower TIBC (p<0.01) are associated with better survival of lung cancer patients. The analysis of polymorphisms in iron related genes did not reveal a significant difference between lung cancer patients and controls. However, rs10421768 in HAMP showed a borderline statistically significant correlation with lung cancer risk (OR = 2.83, p = 0.05).ConclusionsThe results of this case control study indicate that higher body iron represented by higher Fe and ferritin levels may be associated with lung cancer incidence. Rs10421768 in HAMP may be associated with about 3-times higher lung cancer risk. Higher Fe body content may be associated with better survival of lung cancer patients.

This study suggests that a selenium level in excess of 64.4 µg//L might be beneficial for women undergoing treatment for breast cancer and that selenium supplementation to achieve this level may favorably impact the outcome. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and to evaluate the impact of selenium supplementation on breast cancer survival among women with low post-diagnostic selenium levels.

1. In subjects with IHD and ED, erection quality is significantly correlated with exercise tolerance. 2. Exercise training had a positive effect on both exercise tolerance and erection quality but the size of these two effects was different and they ran independently of each other.

Early identification of women at risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is very important. The involvement of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the oxidative balance suggests the possibility of their association with this disease, in which oxidative stress plays a key role. However, it has not been established so far whether the microelement levels in early pregnancy may be risk markers of the disease, as prospective studies are limited in number. In our innovative single-center study, we identified from a prospective cohort of healthy women in the 10–14th week of a single pregnancy: women subsequently developing pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 121) and matched women remaining normotensive (n = 363). We measured the concentrations of microelements in the serum from 10–14 week, using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The odds ratios of the disease (and 95% confidence intervals) were assessed in logistic regression. In the whole cohort, the odds ratio (OR) of PIH was 1.52 (p = 0.174) for women in the lowest (Q1) quartile of Cu (≤1540.58 µg/L) compared with women in the highest (Q4) quartile (>1937.46 µg/L), but adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was 2.17 (p = 0.019) after adjusted for pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational age at recruitment. The higher levels of Cu in the subgroup of BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 compared to normal BMI were found (1847.64 vs. 1673.36 µg/L; p < 0.0001). In the subgroup of women with the normal pre-pregnancy BMI, the adjusted odds ratio of PIH was AOR = 2.95 (p = 0.040) for Q1 vs. Q4 quartile. Our results suggest that lower Cu levels in early pregnancy may be connected with higher risk of PIH, but BMI affected estimated odds ratios. Zinc levels had no effect on the risk.

IntroductionProstate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies among men in Western populations. Evidence reported in the literature suggests that zinc may be related to prostate cancer. In this study we evaluated the association of serum zinc levels and polymorphisms in genes encoding zinc-dependent proteins with prostate cancer in Poland.MethodsThe study group consisted of 197 men affected with prostate cancer and 197 healthy men. Serum zinc levels were measured and 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms in MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-13, MT2A genes were genotyped.ResultsThe mean serum zinc level was higher in prostate cancer patients than in healthy controls (898.9±12.01 μg/l vs. 856.6±13.05 μg/l, p<0.01). When compared in quartiles a significant association of higher zinc concentration with the incidence of prostate cancer was observed. The highest OR (OR = 4.41, 95%CI 2.07–9.37, p<0.01) was observed in 3rd quartile (>853.0–973.9 μg/l). Among five analyzed genetic variants, rs11568818 in MMP-7 appeared to be correlated with 2-fold increased prostate cancer risk (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.19–4.82, p = 0.015).ConclusionOur results suggest a significant correlation of higher serum zinc levels with the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The polymorphism rs11568818 in MMP-7 gene was also associated with an increased prostate cancer risk in Poland.

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BackgroundObservational studies have reported an inverse relationship between selenium status (blood or toenail) and the risk of laryngeal cancer; however, the impact of low serum selenium level on survival has not been evaluated.MethodsWe conducted a prospective study of 296 patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in Szczecin, Poland. Serum selenium was measured at diagnosis and prior to treatment. Patients were followed from the date of diagnosis to death at five years. Vital status was obtained by linkage to the Polish National Death Registry.ResultsThe five-year survival after diagnosis was 82.0% (95% CI: 68% to 91%) for individuals in the highest quartile of serum selenium (> 66.8 μg/L) and was 28.6% (95% CI 19% to 42%) for individuals in the lowest quartile (<50.0 μg/L). In an age- and sex-adjusted analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) for death from all causes was 7.01 (95% CI 3.81 to 12.9) for patients in the lowest quartile of serum selenium, compared to those in the highest quartile. The corresponding multivariate HR was 3.07 (95% CI 1.59 to 5.94).ConclusionsThis study suggests that a selenium level in excess of 70 μg/L is associated with improved outcome among patients undergoing treatment for laryngeal cancer. Further studies are needed to evaluate if selenium supplementation to achieve this level might improve overall prognosis.